I found this interesting not in Frank Tomaino’s history column in the O-D this week.

In case you missed it:

In 1935, Utica public schools reported an enrollment of 15,169 students, 433 fewer than the previous year.

Nearly 20,000 were expected to register. John A. De Camp, superintendent of schools, said the decrease is because of the steadily decreasing birth rate in the country. Also, he adds, in Utica there has been increased attendance in parochial schools and it has affected public school enrollments.

Seventy-five years later, the enrollment at Utica schools sits around 9,200 — we’ll get better figures after school starts on Tuesday.

But that number is up about 1,100 since 1998.

And the number of schools in the district has dropped since 1935: now there are nine elementary schools, two middle schools and one high school. Though in the next couple years, the district will reopen Conklin Elementary School as part of the current $187.6 million capital project.

Rebecca Croniser has served as the education reporter for the Utica Observer-Dispatch since April 2008. Her blog covers various items she sees and hears on her beat covering area schools. To send her items about things going on in your area school, email rcroniser@uticaod.com.